Fading Ads of Philadelphia

Philadelphia's faded ads are history in plain sight. They are tangible remnants of changing neighborhoods and industries, and Fading Ads of Philadelphia presents a new way to view these forgotten urban stories. Join author and photographer Lawrence O'Toole as he explores these physical touchstones of the city's history--a sign for a bygone family business seen only from the elevated train tracks, the Gretz smokestack advertising the now defunct Kensington brewery and an ad for the Midtown Theater that is slowly reappearing from behind layers of whitewash. O'Toole re-creates this lost urban landscape as he hunts signs from Center City to the River Wards and from South Philadelphia to West Philadelphia. Through this stunningly illustrated book, urbanites will again view these too often overlooked ads--and their stories--with fresh eyes.

Lawrence O'Toole is a design director and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in branding, print and digital design. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he received a degree in Graphic Design from the Nesbitt College of Design Arts at Drexel University. Post graduation, he worked as an art director at various companies in the Philadelphia area, before co-founding his own agency in 2005. He now resides in New York City. Frank Jump is an acclaimed photographer and urban documentarian. He is the author of "Fading Ads of New York, " (The History Press, 2011). Stephen Powers made his mark as a Philadelphia graffiti artist.